The renovation of Egypt’s Menkaure pyramid at Giza received social media criticism, with experts calling it “impossible” after a Facebook post regarding the renovation was uploaded.
Mostafa Waziri, the leader of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has referred to it as the “project of the century.”
In a Facebook video shared on Friday, January 26, Waziri showcased workers placing granite blocks on the pyramid’s foundation, situated adjacent to the sphinx, as well as the larger Khafre and Cheops pyramids at Giza.
During its initial construction, the pyramid was covered in granite, but over the years, it lost a portion of this outer layer. The renovation project seeks to revive the pyramid’s original appearance by reconstructing the granite casing.
Work is slated to last three years and will be “Egypt’s gift to the world in the 21st century”, Waziri said, who heads the Egyptian-Japanese mission in charge of the project.
Beneath the video, numerous dissatisfied individuals expressed their discontent through comments, voicing criticism of the ongoing construction.
“Impossible!” Egyptologist Monica Hanna wrote.
“The only thing missing was to add tiling to the pyramid of Menkaure! When are we going to stop the absurdity in the management of Egyptian heritage?” she asked.
“All international principles on renovations prohibit such interventions,” Hanna added, calling on all archaeologists to “mobilize immediately.”
“When will the project to straighten the Tower of Pisa be planned?” a netizen asked.
“Rather than tiles, why not wallpaper the pyramids?” netizen comments.
The matter of conserving heritage in Egypt, a country heavily reliant on tourism, accounting for 10 percent of its gross domestic product, frequently sparks intense discussions.
The significant demolition of sections in Cairo’s historic district has prompted robust responses from civil society, which, while largely restricted from engaging in political activities, focuses predominantly on advocating for urban planning and heritage preservation against the government.
The discussion has recently shifted towards the 15th-century Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi mosque in Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city.
Following the decision by a renovation contractor to repaint the intricately carved and colored ceilings of the city’s largest mosque in white, local authorities have initiated an investigation.
Leave a Reply